Playing at home in a mostly empty arena, the New Jersey Nets lost 117-101 to the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night.
The Nets got off to a decent start, matching the Mavs’ 28 points in the first quarter. But Dallas went bonkers in the next 12 minutes, scoring an incredible 49 points to take a 77-50 halftime lead. Both teams scored 28 in the third quarter. And although Dallas was quiet with just 12 fourth quarter points, the Nets never really threatened to make a game of it.
For the game, Dallas shot 58.7% and hit 8-of-18 from three-point range. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Erick Dampier shot 7-of-10 for 18 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jason Terry scored 18 off the bench. And former Net Jason Kidd destroyed his former team and shot 5-of-6 for 16 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals.
In the loss, Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 24 (but on 21 shots) with 5 turnovers. Devin Harris scored 17 but with more turnovers than assists. Brook Lopez had 16 with just 6 rebounds. Courtney Lee came off the bench to score 13 (but on 14 shots) with 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Reserve Bobby Simmons added 10.
Thankfully, the Nets schedule now gets a bit easier. Friday night they host the inconsistent Charlotte Bobcats, who are mostly winning lately but aren’t a lock to keep playing as well as they recently have. On Sunday, December 6, the Nets cross the Hudson river to face the Knicks in New York. Next, the Nets visit the Bulls in Chicago, then return to New Jersey to battle the Golden State Warriors.
There definitely could be at least one win in near future, especially as Devin Harris continues to regain his health and play more like the super-scorer he was last season.
